Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (Fringe)
Encyclopedia
"Lysergic Acid Diethylamide" is the 19th episode of the third season
of the American science fiction
drama
television series
Fringe
, and the 62nd episode overall. The narrative followed the Fringe team's attempts to extract William Bell
from Olivia's
brain by entering her mind with the help of LSD.
It marked the return of previous guest actor Leonard Nimoy
, who had announced his retirement the previous year. Production of the animated portions was completed by Zoic Studios
in an eight-week effort, the longest amount of man hours placed into a Fringe episode to date.
The episode first aired on April 15, 2011 in the United States on the Fox network
. An estimated 3.6 million viewers tuned in, helping the episode earn a 1.4 ratings share for those 18–49, tying a series low. Critical reception was generally positive, as multiple reviewers praised the creativity of the writers.
) still possesses Olivia's (Anna Torv
) body after several failed attempts to extract it to recently-deceased corpses. Walter (John Noble
) and William believe that they have less than a day before Olivia's mind will be lost. They realize that Olivia is unaware that she has been possessed by William's mind, and instead has likely locked her ego away, making it difficult to contact her by normal means. Walter comes up with a plan: he and Peter (Joshua Jackson
) will enter Olivia's mind with the aid of LSD to locate her ego and help it to regain dominance in her mind, while Walter hopes to download William's mind into a computer.
Inside Olivia's mind, Walter and Peter find they stand out as invaders, and the people that populate her mind, including a vision of her step-father (Chris Bradford), seek to stop them. Walter sees someone sending a Morse code
signal from William Bell's office in one of the World Trade Center
buildings. After evading a crowd and a trap set by a false vision of Nina Sharp (Blair Brown
), they arrive at Bell's office, where they find William waiting for them as an animated cartoon.
The three are unable to find clues to Olivia's ego, something that William thought would be present if Olivia was looking to be found. Peter realizes that when Olivia is scared, she retreats to somewhere safe, and suggests they search her mind's version of Jacksonville, her childhood home. As they travel by zeppelin, William tries to encourage Walter that he no longer needs Bell's guidance. They are soon attacked by a man (Ulrich Thomsen
) wearing an X-marked t-shirt, who tears open the side of the zeppelin; Walter is pulled out by the rush of air and falls to his death—waking him back in the real world.
William and Peter safely land in Jacksonville, and Peter directs them to find the home among the military housing where Olivia stayed at as a child, marked by a red-painted door by her birth-father. Once there, Peter finds the adult Olivia waiting for him, but realizes by her eyes that this is not her. A younger Olivia reveals herself as Olivia's true ego; assured of Peter's identity, she willingly goes with him and Bell. However, they are attacked by the image of her step-father and several military personnel. Peter sacrifices himself to protect her, waking back up in the real world. Olivia is able to stand up against her past fears and stops their advance. William explains that she will be able to return to possession of her body as Walter, in the real world, attempts to extract William's mind.
Olivia wakes back up to the real world, free of William's mind. Walter find that his effort to store William's mind has failed, and takes time to consider William's last message he gave to Olivia: "I knew the dog wouldn't hunt". Later, Peter visits Olivia to rekindle their relationship when he notices a drawing of the same man in the X t-shirt he saw in her mind. Olivia cannot name the man, but nonchalantly refers to him as the person who will kill her.
to television, as he had previously announced his intention to retire from acting. Nimoy stated that when the writers approached him about the role, he jokingly commented on having experience playing characters returning from the dead—referring to the death of Spock
in the Star Trek movies— but expressed interest due to his appreciation of the show and its writing in general. Nimoy has stated that if the writers wanted to use him in future episodes, he would be happy to continue to help.
and consulting producer Akiva Goldsman
, while co-executive producer Joe Chappelle
served as the director.
The cast found out a couple of weeks before filming the episode that parts would be in animation
. The animated portions were produced with Zoic Studios
. Over an eight-week period, the studio defined the primary Fringe characters into their animated counterparts, and used footage of the actors and fight scene choreography to provide motion for the characters. The animators used a stand-in for Nimoy so that he did not have to fly to Vancouver
from Los Angeles
. The studio aimed to achieve a mixed look between stylized and authenticity to allow them to focus on animating the characters' emotions. The work also include recreating some of the settings already established from Fringe, such as Bell's office. Other parts of Olivia's dreamscape were handpainted scenes, projected onto 3D plates and used within the animation software. Andrew Orloff, Zoic's creative director commented, "This project was one of the most intensive and rewarding we have worked on in Zoic’s history. It was an incredible undertaking, from the amazing writers at Fringe to the animation production that is both steeped in tradition and groundbreaking." The episode ultimately contained sixteen minutes of animation; executive producer Jeff Pinkner noted that the amount of man hours placed into the episode was "by far" the longest the series has had to date. The writers have cited Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
and Waltz with Bashir
as influences for the episode.
John Noble talked about the episode in an interview with A.V. Club, "This is part of the risk-taking that our creators will go for. It hadn’t been done before. We wanted to find a solution to a plot problem. And we still had Leonard Nimoy’s presence there, even though he was dead. So they came up with the bizarre idea of putting his presence into Anna Torv, which is outrageous. Outrageous, and yet we did it, and had a lot of fun doing it. Then we had to get him out of it. Because Leonard’s officially retired, so we did the animation to use his voice."
"Lysergic Acid Diethylamide" concluded Anna Torv's "Bellivia" arc. Pinkner defended the storyline against some critical fans, "We understand that some people were frustrated, just like some people were frustrated with the idea of Bolivia having a baby. But there are things that we feel are entertaining to us, and that allow us to explore themes that... we can’t otherwise access. And we think that if it’s entertaining, and it allows Anna a chance to stretch, and it gives Walter Bishop his old partner back for an episode so we can see what they were like together... those are also perfectly valid reasons for doing those episodes." Wyman added, "Yeah, it was important. I mean, you know, for people that say it was just a diversion, well, there was something really important involved in that Walter/William relationship. That was part of Walter’s self-actualization, that moment when William Bell says, 'Look, you have to be on your own. You have to walk the path that you believe in. You gain some humility where there once was hubris, and it’s really important that you depend on yourself.' Part of our plan has always been to get Walter to embrace his flaws and uniqueness as strengths, rather than thinking of them inhibiting his performance as a scientist and as a character. We were really anxious to get that across, and the best person to do that for us was William Bell, because Walter depended so much on William in so many different ways. So that story came around at a time where we really needed to have it." Because the season finale
did not resolve the plotline of Olivia and the man from the blimp, Pinkner commented in a post-finale interview that "It’s definitely still in play. Without being too spoilery, there are things you think you have time to explore in any given season, but don’t. But yes, we are very interested in that moment and the implications of that."
Filming of the live action parts of "Lysergic Acid Diethylamide" were shot along west Hastings Street
in Vancouver during the latter part of February 2011.
As with other Fringe episodes, Fox released a science lesson plan in colaboration with Science Olympiad
for grade school children, focusing on the science seen in "Lysergic Acid Diethylamide", with the intention of having "students learn about wind power and turbine design."
Fringe reviewer Sarah Stegall noted that the episode's ratings were not surprising, considering the series had just returned from a three-week break. Time shifted viewing
led to an increase of 69 percent in the all-important 18-49 demographic, a 2.2 rating share. This was the largest percent increase of the week.
, Andrew Hanson questioned whether the writers had been using drugs lately due to the surge of drug-related episodes; though he loved it, he acknowledged that the episode was one "you are either going to love or hate", explaining that it "got a little crazy using Olivia’s mind as a setting, [but] it stays grounded through the emotional current running underneath... you have to give Fringe credit for taking a risky, bold move." SFScope
writer Sarah Stegall called the episode "brilliant, risky, fascinating, and dangerous. It's not a tack this show can afford to take very often, but I like it when it does."
A.V. Club's Noel Murray graded the episode with an A-, admitting that despite its faults, he "enjoyed the hell out of" it. He loved it for several reasons: he is a big fan of Anna Torv's Bellivia performance and its plotline, the drugs incorporated into the plot, its Inception
-like qualities, the animation, and Bell's final goodbye. IGN
Fringe reviewer Ramsey Isler rated the episode 8.0/10, calling it "one of the most memorable Fringe episodes to date." Like Murray, Isler also noted the similarities to Inception as well as to the 1968 film Yellow Submarine
and the 1977 science fiction novel A Scanner Darkly
. Isler did however remark that "Lysergic Acid Diethylamide" "end[ed] a string of episodes that didn't really have much point", though it was a "beautiful episode that doesn't really do much for the mythology of the series... it sure was a blast to watch."
Fringe (season 3)
The third season of the American science fiction television series Fringe premiered on Fox on September 23, 2010, and concluded on May 6, 2011, consisting of 22 episodes. The series is produced by Bad Robot Productions in association with Warner Bros...
of the American science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
television series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
Fringe
Fringe (TV series)
Fringe is an American science fiction television series created by J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. The series follows a Federal Bureau of Investigation "Fringe Division" team based in Boston, Massachusetts under the supervision of Homeland Security...
, and the 62nd episode overall. The narrative followed the Fringe team's attempts to extract William Bell
William Bell
-Musicians:* William Bell * William Bell * William Henry Bell , composer -Politicians:* Dr. William Bell , founder of Manitou Springs, Colorado...
from Olivia's
Olivia Dunham
FBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham is a fictional character and protagonist on the Fox television series Fringe . Olivia first appeared in the pilot episode on September 9, 2008. She is portrayed by actress Anna Torv....
brain by entering her mind with the help of LSD.
It marked the return of previous guest actor Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Simon Nimoy is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. Nimoy's most famous role is that of Spock in the original Star Trek series , multiple films, television and video game sequels....
, who had announced his retirement the previous year. Production of the animated portions was completed by Zoic Studios
Zoic Studios
Zoic Studios is a visual effects company based in Culver City, California. They specialize in visual effects for feature films, episodic television, commercials, video games, advertising design, and interactive online media...
in an eight-week effort, the longest amount of man hours placed into a Fringe episode to date.
The episode first aired on April 15, 2011 in the United States on the Fox network
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
. An estimated 3.6 million viewers tuned in, helping the episode earn a 1.4 ratings share for those 18–49, tying a series low. Critical reception was generally positive, as multiple reviewers praised the creativity of the writers.
Plot
The mind of William Bell (Leonard NimoyLeonard Nimoy
Leonard Simon Nimoy is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. Nimoy's most famous role is that of Spock in the original Star Trek series , multiple films, television and video game sequels....
) still possesses Olivia's (Anna Torv
Anna Torv
Anna Torv is an Australian actress known for her role as FBI agent Olivia Dunham on the Fox television series Fringe.-Early life:...
) body after several failed attempts to extract it to recently-deceased corpses. Walter (John Noble
John Noble
John Noble is an Australian film and television actor, and theater director of more than 80 plays. He was born in Port Pirie, South Australia, Australia and is currently starring as scientist Walter Bishop in the J. J. Abrams television series Fringe.He made occasional appearances on the...
) and William believe that they have less than a day before Olivia's mind will be lost. They realize that Olivia is unaware that she has been possessed by William's mind, and instead has likely locked her ego away, making it difficult to contact her by normal means. Walter comes up with a plan: he and Peter (Joshua Jackson
Joshua Jackson
Joshua Carter Jackson is a Canadian American actor. He has appeared in primetime television and in over 32 film roles. He is best known for playing Charlie Conway in The Mighty Ducks film series, Pacey Witter in the television series Dawson's Creek and Peter Bishop in the television series...
) will enter Olivia's mind with the aid of LSD to locate her ego and help it to regain dominance in her mind, while Walter hopes to download William's mind into a computer.
Inside Olivia's mind, Walter and Peter find they stand out as invaders, and the people that populate her mind, including a vision of her step-father (Chris Bradford), seek to stop them. Walter sees someone sending a Morse code
Morse code
Morse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...
signal from William Bell's office in one of the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
buildings. After evading a crowd and a trap set by a false vision of Nina Sharp (Blair Brown
Blair Brown
Bonnie Blair Brown is an American theater, film, and television actress. She has had a number of high profile roles, including a Tony Award-winning turn in the play Copenhagen on Broadway, as well as a run as the title character in the television comedy-drama The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd,...
), they arrive at Bell's office, where they find William waiting for them as an animated cartoon.
The three are unable to find clues to Olivia's ego, something that William thought would be present if Olivia was looking to be found. Peter realizes that when Olivia is scared, she retreats to somewhere safe, and suggests they search her mind's version of Jacksonville, her childhood home. As they travel by zeppelin, William tries to encourage Walter that he no longer needs Bell's guidance. They are soon attacked by a man (Ulrich Thomsen
Ulrich Thomsen
Ulrich Thomsen is a Danish actor.Thomsen was born in Fyn, Denmark and graduated from the Danish National School of Theatre and Contemporary Dance in 1993, after which playing on several theatres in Copenhagen, such as Dr. Dantes Aveny, Mungo Park and Østre Gasværks Teater.His film debut was in...
) wearing an X-marked t-shirt, who tears open the side of the zeppelin; Walter is pulled out by the rush of air and falls to his death—waking him back in the real world.
William and Peter safely land in Jacksonville, and Peter directs them to find the home among the military housing where Olivia stayed at as a child, marked by a red-painted door by her birth-father. Once there, Peter finds the adult Olivia waiting for him, but realizes by her eyes that this is not her. A younger Olivia reveals herself as Olivia's true ego; assured of Peter's identity, she willingly goes with him and Bell. However, they are attacked by the image of her step-father and several military personnel. Peter sacrifices himself to protect her, waking back up in the real world. Olivia is able to stand up against her past fears and stops their advance. William explains that she will be able to return to possession of her body as Walter, in the real world, attempts to extract William's mind.
Olivia wakes back up to the real world, free of William's mind. Walter find that his effort to store William's mind has failed, and takes time to consider William's last message he gave to Olivia: "I knew the dog wouldn't hunt". Later, Peter visits Olivia to rekindle their relationship when he notices a drawing of the same man in the X t-shirt he saw in her mind. Olivia cannot name the man, but nonchalantly refers to him as the person who will kill her.
Casting
"Lysergic Acid Diethylamide" features the return of guest actor Leonard NimoyLeonard Nimoy
Leonard Simon Nimoy is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. Nimoy's most famous role is that of Spock in the original Star Trek series , multiple films, television and video game sequels....
to television, as he had previously announced his intention to retire from acting. Nimoy stated that when the writers approached him about the role, he jokingly commented on having experience playing characters returning from the dead—referring to the death of Spock
Spock
Spock is a fictional character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by Leonard Nimoy in the original Star Trek series, Spock also appears in the animated Star Trek series, two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, seven of the Star Trek feature films, and numerous Star Trek...
in the Star Trek movies— but expressed interest due to his appreciation of the show and its writing in general. Nimoy has stated that if the writers wanted to use him in future episodes, he would be happy to continue to help.
Writing and filming
The episode was written by executive producers J.H. Wyman and Jeff PinknerJeff Pinkner
Jeff Pinkner is an American television writer and producer. He graduated from Pikesville High School in Baltimore Maryland in 1983. He is known for his work on Alias where he served as executive producer. In 2006 and 2007, he worked as an executive producer and writer for the mystery series Lost...
and consulting producer Akiva Goldsman
Akiva Goldsman
Akiva J. Goldsman from Walker Valley, New York is an American screenwriter and film producer. He received an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the 2001 film, A Beautiful Mind, which also won the Oscar for Best Picture....
, while co-executive producer Joe Chappelle
Joe Chappelle
Joe Chappelle is an American film and television director and producer. Chappelle was a Co-executive producer and regular Director for the HBO crime drama The Wire...
served as the director.
The cast found out a couple of weeks before filming the episode that parts would be in animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
. The animated portions were produced with Zoic Studios
Zoic Studios
Zoic Studios is a visual effects company based in Culver City, California. They specialize in visual effects for feature films, episodic television, commercials, video games, advertising design, and interactive online media...
. Over an eight-week period, the studio defined the primary Fringe characters into their animated counterparts, and used footage of the actors and fight scene choreography to provide motion for the characters. The animators used a stand-in for Nimoy so that he did not have to fly to Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
from Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. The studio aimed to achieve a mixed look between stylized and authenticity to allow them to focus on animating the characters' emotions. The work also include recreating some of the settings already established from Fringe, such as Bell's office. Other parts of Olivia's dreamscape were handpainted scenes, projected onto 3D plates and used within the animation software. Andrew Orloff, Zoic's creative director commented, "This project was one of the most intensive and rewarding we have worked on in Zoic’s history. It was an incredible undertaking, from the amazing writers at Fringe to the animation production that is both steeped in tradition and groundbreaking." The episode ultimately contained sixteen minutes of animation; executive producer Jeff Pinkner noted that the amount of man hours placed into the episode was "by far" the longest the series has had to date. The writers have cited Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (film)
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is a 1978 American musical film. Its soundtrack, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, features new versions of songs originally written and performed by The Beatles. The film draws primarily from two of their albums, 1967's Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club...
and Waltz with Bashir
Waltz with Bashir
Waltz with Bashir is a 2008 Israeli animated documentary film written and directed by Ari Folman. It depicts Folman in search of his lost memories from the 1982 Lebanon War....
as influences for the episode.
John Noble talked about the episode in an interview with A.V. Club, "This is part of the risk-taking that our creators will go for. It hadn’t been done before. We wanted to find a solution to a plot problem. And we still had Leonard Nimoy’s presence there, even though he was dead. So they came up with the bizarre idea of putting his presence into Anna Torv, which is outrageous. Outrageous, and yet we did it, and had a lot of fun doing it. Then we had to get him out of it. Because Leonard’s officially retired, so we did the animation to use his voice."
"Lysergic Acid Diethylamide" concluded Anna Torv's "Bellivia" arc. Pinkner defended the storyline against some critical fans, "We understand that some people were frustrated, just like some people were frustrated with the idea of Bolivia having a baby. But there are things that we feel are entertaining to us, and that allow us to explore themes that... we can’t otherwise access. And we think that if it’s entertaining, and it allows Anna a chance to stretch, and it gives Walter Bishop his old partner back for an episode so we can see what they were like together... those are also perfectly valid reasons for doing those episodes." Wyman added, "Yeah, it was important. I mean, you know, for people that say it was just a diversion, well, there was something really important involved in that Walter/William relationship. That was part of Walter’s self-actualization, that moment when William Bell says, 'Look, you have to be on your own. You have to walk the path that you believe in. You gain some humility where there once was hubris, and it’s really important that you depend on yourself.' Part of our plan has always been to get Walter to embrace his flaws and uniqueness as strengths, rather than thinking of them inhibiting his performance as a scientist and as a character. We were really anxious to get that across, and the best person to do that for us was William Bell, because Walter depended so much on William in so many different ways. So that story came around at a time where we really needed to have it." Because the season finale
The Day We Died
"The Day We Died" is the third season finale of the Fox science fiction drama television series Fringe. It is the season's 22nd episode and the series' 65th episode overall. The finale follows the aftermath of Peter entering and activating the doomsday device...
did not resolve the plotline of Olivia and the man from the blimp, Pinkner commented in a post-finale interview that "It’s definitely still in play. Without being too spoilery, there are things you think you have time to explore in any given season, but don’t. But yes, we are very interested in that moment and the implications of that."
Filming of the live action parts of "Lysergic Acid Diethylamide" were shot along west Hastings Street
Hastings Street (Vancouver)
Hastings Street is one of the most important east-west traffic corridors in the cities of Vancouver and Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, and used to be a part of the decommissioned Highway 7A...
in Vancouver during the latter part of February 2011.
As with other Fringe episodes, Fox released a science lesson plan in colaboration with Science Olympiad
Science Olympiad
Science Olympiad is an American elementary, middle, or high school team competition which tests knowledge of various science topics and engineering ability. Over 6,200 teams from 49 U.S. states compete each year. Most teams compete in three levels of competition: regionals, states, and nationals...
for grade school children, focusing on the science seen in "Lysergic Acid Diethylamide", with the intention of having "students learn about wind power and turbine design."
Cultural references
Astrid downloads the 1972 version of the PBS children's show ZOOM for Walter on his tablet.Ratings
"Lysergic Acid Diethylamide" was watched by 3.6 million viewers on initial broadcast, with a 1.4 rating in the target 18–49 age demographic, tying its previous season low. The episode lost 100,000 viewers between the first half and the second. SFScopeSFScope
SFScope is an online trade journal devoted to entertainment news concerning speculative fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and horror. It was founded by Ian Randal Strock in early 2007....
Fringe reviewer Sarah Stegall noted that the episode's ratings were not surprising, considering the series had just returned from a three-week break. Time shifted viewing
Time shifting
Time shifting is the recording of programming to a storage medium to be viewed or listened to at a time more convenient to the consumer. Typically, this refers to TV programming but can also refer to radio shows via podcasts....
led to an increase of 69 percent in the all-important 18-49 demographic, a 2.2 rating share. This was the largest percent increase of the week.
Reviews
Writing for the Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, Andrew Hanson questioned whether the writers had been using drugs lately due to the surge of drug-related episodes; though he loved it, he acknowledged that the episode was one "you are either going to love or hate", explaining that it "got a little crazy using Olivia’s mind as a setting, [but] it stays grounded through the emotional current running underneath... you have to give Fringe credit for taking a risky, bold move." SFScope
SFScope
SFScope is an online trade journal devoted to entertainment news concerning speculative fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and horror. It was founded by Ian Randal Strock in early 2007....
writer Sarah Stegall called the episode "brilliant, risky, fascinating, and dangerous. It's not a tack this show can afford to take very often, but I like it when it does."
A.V. Club's Noel Murray graded the episode with an A-, admitting that despite its faults, he "enjoyed the hell out of" it. He loved it for several reasons: he is a big fan of Anna Torv's Bellivia performance and its plotline, the drugs incorporated into the plot, its Inception
Inception
Inception: The Subconscious Jams 1994-1995 is a compilation of unreleased tracks by the band Download.-Track listing:# "Primitive Tekno Jam" – 3:23# "Bee Sting Sickness" – 8:04# "Weed Acid Techno" – 8:19...
-like qualities, the animation, and Bell's final goodbye. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
Fringe reviewer Ramsey Isler rated the episode 8.0/10, calling it "one of the most memorable Fringe episodes to date." Like Murray, Isler also noted the similarities to Inception as well as to the 1968 film Yellow Submarine
Yellow Submarine (film)
Yellow Submarine is a 1968 animated musical fantasy film based on the music of The Beatles. It is also the title for the film's soundtrack album, released as part of The Beatles' music catalogue. The film was directed by animation producer George Dunning, and produced by United Artists and King...
and the 1977 science fiction novel A Scanner Darkly
A Scanner Darkly
A Scanner Darkly is a BSFA Award winning 1977 science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick. The semi-autobiographical story is set in a dystopian Orange County, California, in the then-future of June 1994...
. Isler did however remark that "Lysergic Acid Diethylamide" "end[ed] a string of episodes that didn't really have much point", though it was a "beautiful episode that doesn't really do much for the mythology of the series... it sure was a blast to watch."
External links
- "Lysergic Acid Diethylamide" at Fox.com